Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has held a naming and launching ceremony for the first of Japan’s first two LNG-fuelled ferries which were ordered from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding at the Shimonoseki Shipyard Enoura Plant.
The 199.9m 17,300gt newbuild ferry was named Sunflower Kurenai and will enter service on the Osaka-Beppu route operated by Ferry Sunflower, after delivery in January 2023.
The new ferry will offer greater capacity and convenience for both cargo and passenger transport. It will be Japan’s first ferry to adopt new environmentally-friendly specifications, being equipped with a high-performance dual-fuel engine, which can run on both LNG and HFO. The LNG fuel is expected to reduce emissions of CO2 by about 25%, and SOx by virtually 100%.
The MOL Group aims to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050. It is promoting the wider adoption of LNG fuel through development and advancement of an LNG fuel supply system in Japan and overseas. It also plans to launch about 90 LNG-fuelled vessels by 2030. In the Ferry Business, following the Sunflower Kurenai and the second Sunflower Murasaki, two LNG-powered ferries are planned to be built to replace the ferries in service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Ferry in 2025. The group will develop technology for LNG-fuelled vessels and safe operation through development, construction, and operation of the new ferries, and take an active stance in fostering the use of LNG fuel.
